Howey said: “The two lads who stood out for me where Wijnaldum, who obviously scored four goals, and Sissoko. And yet those two players were the ones who were not tracking their players back, and cost Newcastle the two goals.”

The Tyneside club picked up their first win of the season by defeating Norwich, with Georginio Wijnaldum stealing all the headlines with his four-goal haul.

It was the first time that the Dutch star has looked up to his full talents since signing for Newcastle over the summer, and it was a display which suggested he will start to properly live up to his reputation in the coming weeks.

His inclusion in Howey’s list is no surprise, but Sissoko’s performance was a real surprise considering how out of form he has looked for a number of months.

The Frenchman has looked like he wants to leave St James’ Park for a number of months, but this performance was back to the level he showed when he arrived at Newcastle, registering three assists with a display of power, talent and leadership in the middle of the park.

Howey has said that these two players stood out for him, but has admitted that they were to blame for the two Norwich goals as well, which came from Sissoko and Wijnaldum not tracking their runners in the defensive zones.

The performance was one which suggested Newcastle’s season is not as bad as many believed, and many are hoping to see Steve McClaren’s men build on this game by going on a run of much needed results in the coming weeks.

Billy Hawkins

Billy is a freelance writer who contributes to various sites concerning football. Known to possess an obsession with statistics, Eastern European club sides, and Victorian football, he focuses upon the untapped potential of the Football League in the belief it is more enjoyable than the Premier League.